Manchester City defender Micah Richards could miss FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United

Micah Richards is facing the disappointment of missing Manchester City’s FA
Cup semi-final with Manchester United after suffering a hamstring injury
while on international duty with England Under-21s.

Injured: Micah Richards was substituted after only three minutes of the match against Denmark Under-21sPhoto: AP

By Rory Smith

11:00PM GMT 25 Mar 2011

The defender returned to Manchester on Friday but is not expected to undergo a scan until Sunday at the earliest after City's medical staff decided to allow swelling to subside.

Stuart Pearce, the England Under-21 manager, revealed after the 4-0 victory over Denmark – in which Richards featured for only three minutes – that the player himself felt he would be out for a month.

His assistant, Steve Wigley, was confident on Friday that the injury may not be as serious as first feared, but said Richards can expect to be out for between two and three weeks. The Manchester derby is at Wembley on April 16.